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When I tether my phone, I can't access Google or Gmail (other sites, too).

cmd: ping http://www.google.com; Ping request could not find host...

List of problem sites/applications:

Sites:

Apps:

  • ET Naver Line (a.k.a. LINE) (jp.naver.android.npush)

I experience this on various sites and apps; however the above are sites tested as working over emobile (separate modem)--the URLs should be correct. I would change the question title, but I have a support request in with the developers to contact me via this site for a resolution.


Device info:

Phones:

  • Softbank Fujitsu Arrows 301F; 4.1-Jelly Bean.
  • Softbank Aquos 104SH; 4.0-Icecream Sandwich.
  • Connected via USB, debugging mode enabled, in MTP mode.
  • Phone's DNS: Google DNS; OpenDNS.

PC's:

  • PC OS: Windows 7 SP 1 (please request any hardware specs).
  • Connection methods tested: chrome latest, IE10 latest, cmd (ping), telnet.
  • PC's DNS: OpenDNS; Google DNS; no DNS.

Non-specific:

  • Tethering software: EasyTether lite (no root).

Known error messages:

Via Chrome:

This webpage is not available

Reload Less Google Chrome could not load the webpage because www.google.co.jp took too long to respond. The website may be down, or you may be experiencing issues with your Internet connection. Check your Internet connection. Check any cables and reboot any routers, modems, or other network devices you may be using. Allow Chrome to access the network in your firewall or antivirus settings. If it is already listed as a program allowed to access the network, try removing it from the list and adding it again. If you use a proxy server... Check your proxy settings or contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working. If you don't believe you should be using a proxy server: Go to the Chrome menu > Settings > Show advanced settings... > Change proxy settings... > LAN Settings and deselect "Use a proxy server for your LAN". Error code: ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

Via IE 10:

Via CMD:

Ping request could not find host https://www.google.com. Please check the name and try again.

Via Telnet:

Connecting To https://www.google.com...Could not open connection to the host, on port 23: Connect failed

Via LINE:

Unable to login due to network issues. Please check your connection and try again.


Question summary:

Why am I experiencing these issues (not being able to connect to the above-mentioned websites), and how can these issues be resolved? Can you help me test what I think is causing the issues?


Proposed causes:

  1. Perhaps the reason I cannot access these sites is because they are in use by the phone? If that is the case, I am not sure how to test it. So far, when I "force-stop" and "disable" an app like LINE, I still cannot connect. So, I thought: it's possible that the phone is reserving the app's networking info, somehow. So, I went so far as to uninstall Line from my phone and reset the phone and PC. Still unable to use Line on the PC. Furthermore; Skype works simultaneously on PC and Phone.
  2. Perhaps it's a PC or OS issue? I still have yet to tether my phones to a different PC or OS.
  3. Perhaps it's a DNS issue? I still have yet to test this, but I believe I get a similar error with OpenDNS when trying to access localhost.
  4. "Activate EasyTether or use it with UDP and secure sites BLOCKED? This message appears at the top of Easy Tether's settings screen. I'm very curious to know whether or not this is the cause. It seems highly likely.
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  • can you access/ping these sites via their IP addresses? If you can, that indicates a name resolution issue.
    – Lie Ryan
    Jan 14, 2014 at 9:03
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    BTW, editing the question title won't invalidate old links to it. The question number is the part that matters: having the title in the URL is just a convenience and for SEO.
    – Dan Hulme
    Jan 14, 2014 at 10:22
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    Can you still reach the broken sites from the phone when tethering, or is it both the phone and the PC that fail to reach them?
    – Dan Hulme
    Jan 14, 2014 at 10:24
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    Who is providing internet access here? Are you using your PC's internet on your phone, or the other direction? If the latter, your first "proposed cause" is probably correct. I remember having read the similar thing a couple of times already: as soon as tethering is active, internet seems to be no longer available locally. I'm not 100% sure, though, so you might want to check other questions here for that.
    – Izzy
    Jan 14, 2014 at 10:26
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    Possibly related: Android Tethering DNS Problem
    – Izzy
    Jan 14, 2014 at 10:30

1 Answer 1

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Resolution

EasyTether Light (No Root) is the best tethering software I've been able to find on the Play store; however, it blocks UDP ports and secure protocols. Updating to EasyTether Full (cost: 9.99 USD) resolved the issues on all of the above-listed sites and services. It was very bothersome to go through all this and e-mail the developer, only to get a kind of boggled response from him. Their FAQ does not mention this, and the message in the app was covered up by the "warning, do not scratch the camera" message I had written on my screen guard, up until yesterday; so, I simply didn't notice. I hope the developer will upgrade the app to include some kind of pop-up message indicating that this is the cause of the issue, or at least add the issue to the FAQ.

Thanks for all the comments and wonderful help!

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  • I have the same problem with USB tethering. I have to USB tether the phone to the PC to get the internet because I am changing ISP's. Google.com works intermittently. Wiki doesn't respond, reddit is 100% and so is stack, and 70% of all internet sites "took too long to respond" page unavailable. Using WIFI tethering gives 100% page throughput on the same OS for my laptop, Windows 7. Feb 28, 2020 at 0:33

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